It's the media blowing shit out of proportion and making a fuss. They're giving a minority opinion (racist bullshit) a voice because it makes a good story and gets people all riled up. Are there racist people? Yeh - but not as many as it's made out to be.

Even hinting at anything racist would get most professionals fired.

I don't consider the rebel flag my heritage. I don't have any friends that consider it their heritage - at least that I'm aware of. While its likely some of my friends are racist, they certainly wouldn't admit to it - it's seen very unfavorably outside of the trailer park. It's a white trash banner. I only see people wearing that shit at the Walmark and public pools. And I feel bad about saying that about people that live in trailer parks, because even that's a misguided stereotype - being poor doesn't mean you're racist anymore than being from Alabama. The odds are just slightly higher that's where you'd find that ignorant crap.

It's incredibly offensive and hurtful to people I care about - why the hell would I want to "celebrate" a symbol that is recognized by so many as oppression? I'm not alone in this viewpoint. Most people consider it inappropriate. Especially the younger generations.

Not one person on any side of my family tauts that shit - and I have some veeerrrryyyy country relatives. Considering I know my way around a farm and learned to hunt at 9, you could also consider me country. And it's not my goddamn heritage - farm life, picking cotton and living off the land - that's more of my heritage. Neighbors helping neighbors - that's my heritage - whether it's bringing casseroles to new parents or to widows, or taking about how my great grandparents ensured their neighbors didn't starve during the Great Depression. When tornados destroy towns, neighbors get out, strangers get out (and at the end of the day they're no longer strangers), and help get it all cleaned up while drinking fresh squeezed lemonade and sweet tea made by the ladies, and people bringing barbecue to the workers. That's my heritage.

If anything the flag should be seen as shameful - I just refuse to apologize for a wrongdoing that wasn't mine. I'm not ashamed of being from Alabama - nor should I be - it just happens to be the place where I popped out. It's really quite beautiful, the people are friendly, and most areas have a low cost of living. I wouldn't be able to live nearly as well being middle class somewhere like California or New York.

Whew. Ok. I'll step off my soapbox.

"If there's a single thing that life teaches us, it's that wishing doesn't make it so." - Lev Grossman

(01-07-2015 10:00 AM)Nurse Wrote: It's the media blowing shit out of proportion and making a fuss. They're giving a minority opinion (racist bullshit) a voice because it makes a good story and gets people all riled up. Are there racist people? Yeh - but not as many as it's made out to be.

Even hinting at anything racist would get most professionals fired.

I don't consider the rebel flag my heritage. I don't have any friends that consider it their heritage - at least that I'm aware of. While its likely some of my friends are racist, they certainly wouldn't admit to it - it's seen very unfavorably outside of the trailer park. It's a white trash banner. I only see people wearing that shit at the Walmark and public pools. And I feel bad about saying that about people that live in trailer parks, because even that's a misguided stereotype - being poor doesn't mean you're racist anymore than being from Alabama. The odds are just slightly higher that's where you'd find that ignorant crap.

It's incredibly offensive and hurtful to people I care about - why the hell would I want to "celebrate" a symbol that is recognized by so many as oppression? I'm not alone in this viewpoint. Most people consider it inappropriate. Especially the younger generations.

Not one person on any side of my family tauts that shit - and I have some veeerrrryyyy country relatives. Considering I know my way around a farm and learned to hunt at 9, you could also consider me country. And it's not my goddamn heritage - farm life, picking cotton and living off the land - that's more of my heritage. Neighbors helping neighbors - that's my heritage - whether it's bringing casseroles to new parents or to widows, or taking about how my great grandparents ensured their neighbors didn't starve during the Great Depression. When tornados destroy towns, neighbors get out, strangers get out (and at the end of the day they're no longer strangers), and help get it all cleaned up while drinking fresh squeezed lemonade and sweet tea made by the ladies, and people bringing barbecue to the workers. That's my heritage.

If anything the flag should be seen as shameful - I just refuse to apologize for a wrongdoing that wasn't mine. I'm not ashamed of being from Alabama - nor should I be - it just happens to be the place where I popped out. It's really quite beautiful, the people are friendly, and most areas have a low cost of living. I wouldn't be able to live nearly as well being middle class somewhere like California or New York.

Whew. Ok. I'll step off my soapbox.

^^ What she said ^^

I just wanted to let you know that I love you even though you aren't naked right now.

(01-07-2015 08:56 AM)Hobbitgirl Wrote: As do I. One of my very best friends lives in Alabama. As terrible as rh is makes me sound i feel they aren't able or willing to fight to fix things. Their best hope is to move.

Fighting against the current regime seems pretty hopeless, I hope for a longer term solution where the younger generation has more say in government.

There is a pretty entrenched "good ol' boy" network of power players, at least in Alabama, that have a stranglehold on our politics, businesses and education systems. They do not really care about things like gay marriage or rebel flags except for how easy it is to use these topics to control the ignorant masses. That is not to say they do not hold ridiculous beliefs, but that money and power easily trump them in importance. The way I see it, we have only three options: 1) somehow overthrow the current government and the boards of the major institutions and businesses, or 2) prevent the ignorant masses from voting and/or producing offspring. I am pretty sure both of those options are both legally and ethically questionable. The last option is to wait on the "good ol' boys" to age out. Change in the south takes a generation recognizing and altering the wrongs committed by the one before them. Sadly, too many of us that recognize the stupidity of the current regime choose to leave rather than hang around to try to make a difference. I am not sure I wouldn't do the same if the right opportunity came along. However, I have heretofore stayed because I wanted to be close to my family.

I just wanted to let you know that I love you even though you aren't naked right now.